#59 - The Human Truth Behind America’s Migration Machine with Jason De León

Stories that cut through borders, fear, and silence. In this episode, Marcus sits down with Jason De León to explore the human realities behind migration, smuggling, and survival. Through raw honesty and years of fieldwork, Jason brings forward the voices and moments most people never witness, revealing how hope, courage, and impossible decisions shape every journey north. This conversation pulls you beyond the headlines and into the lives that hold the true weight of our global migration crisis.Jason De León is a MacArthur Fellow, award-winning author, and Director of the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at UCLA. He leads the Undocumented Migration Project, a research and arts collective bringing visibility to the human cost of global migration. His book Soldiers and Kings won the 2024 National Book Award for Nonfiction, and he is also a professor of Anthropology and Chicana/o and Central American Studies.Get in touch with Jason De León:🌐 Website: https://www.jasonpatrickdeleon.com/ Learn more about: The Undocumented Migration Project - Where migrant stories become visible. https://www.undocumentedmigrationproject.org/ Episode highlights:(2:14) Creating work from love, not awards(8:48) Facing danger and learning who to trust(13:19) What true access to someone’s story requires(15:44) The emotional cost of carrying others’ lives(20:31) What people misunderstand most about smugglers(25:16) How the U.S. relies on migrant labor every day(31:16) Why simple policy “fixes” don’t solve anything(42:02) The Undocumented Migration Project(44:12) How work and fatherhood helped him heal his own trauma(50:25) Jason's writing process and what teaches his kids about purpose(56:24) OutroConnect with Marcus Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcus-arredondo/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/cus Scales of Success Website: scalesofsuccesspodcast.com X (Twitter): https://x.com/scalesofsuccess Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scalesofsuccesspod/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@scalesofsuccess Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ScalesofSuccess —-- Leave a Review If you enjoyed listening to the podcast, we’d love for you to leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts to help others discover the show. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/scales-of-success-podcast/id1773864140 Get in Touch You can also Tweet @cus with any feedback, ideas or thoughts about the lessons you’ve learnt from the episodes and we can thank you personally for tuning in.